Game Commission investigating Wayne County black bear slaying

Friday

Jun 14, 2013 at 6:45 AMJun 14, 2013 at 10:04 AM

Steve McConnell

The state Game Commission is looking for the killer of a 550-pound black bear in Wayne County.

Commission officers began their investigation on Wednesday after a "good Samaritan" reported spotting the bloodied bear in the area of Branning Road in Berlin Twp., said Jim McCarthy, wildlife conservation officer.

"I don't want to say we have a suspect right now, but we are pursuing leads. --I'll leave it at that," McCarthy said.

Someone fatally shot the bear out of season, a summary-level offense carrying fines and restitution of up to $6,500 and potentially up to 120 days in jail.Investigators believe the male bear was likely killed on Tuesday. There was no indication the bear may have been hit by a vehicle, then killed out of mercy, McCarthy said.Poachers are known to stalk the woods of Pennsylvania to illegally kill game, sometimes to harvest body parts to sell on the black market.

"We don't know for sure" why the bear was killed, McCarthy said. He would not disclose whether any body parts were removed.

Residents of the remote and heavily forested community said they have had problems with bears foraging through their garbage. An irate resident may have shot the bear, taking the "matter into their own hands," McCarthy said.

"That's just one of the possible scenarios," he said. "We would really like to talk to the person who did it to find out why they did it."

Anyone with information should contact the Game Commission's local office in Dallas at 675-1143. Tips can remain confidential.Distributed by MCT Information Services